Abstract
The paper delves deep into the cinematic elements used by the filmmaker in making the film, The Godfather (1972). The specific cinematic elements that have been used adeptly in the course of the aesthetic work have been explored. The ways in which these elements come together to affect the audience is also explicated in the course of the paper. Thus, a formal analysis of the film in context enables one to comprehend the appeal of the film on the minds of the audience, and how the film has been weaved with all the individual aesthetic elements being coordinated together. Thus, the paper presents a holistic analysis of the film and its elements so as to make it clear how the cinematic medium involves modalities of different sorts that work together in creating the cinematic work.
The Godfather (1972)
The film, The Godfather (1972), is one of the most famous films in the history of cinema. Directed by the stalwart filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola, the film went on to create a lot of ripples in among the critiques and the audiences alike with the quintessential portrayal and excellent use of the cinematic devices. The film has been immortalized in the hearts of the gazillion audience, and it is still hailed as one of the finest works of art of the past century. The filmmaker has employed the perfect use of various cinematic elements in his work. The cinematic genius employed in making the film in context can be gauged if a formal introspection into the aesthetic elements and devices like narrative, characterization, cinematography, and background score is completed.
The film goes on to portray the dynamics within the family of Don Vito Corleone and the series of impediments that the family faces owing to the antagonism of other people involved in the world of organized crime. The film portrays the shift of power from the father to his son, and how the circumstances play an important role in bringing about the transfer of powers. The film shows how the son-in-law of Vito Corleone betrays the family working for en enemy. The story documents the manipulative power and the revenge that drives Michael Corleone, the youngest son of Vito Corleone who takes over as the helm of the family business. The story shows his rise to power braving the odds of the dark underworld set in the milieu of American society. At the end of the film, Michael plots and succeeds in killing the heads of the other families involved in business.
One has to comprehend the fact that the film in context is told in a closed world- the primary reason why the audience goes on to sympathize with the characters of the film who essentially engage in immorality and evil acts. The cinematic adaptation of Mario Puzo’s book turns out to be an excellent conjuring act that grips the audience to the very core. Marlon Brando portrays the character of Don Vito Corleone who comes across as an admirable and sympathetic character in the film, and all though the film no such action in relation to him that can be strongly disapproved is shown. The director makes sure that the audience gets to see no civilian or innocent person who is victimized by the organized crime being portrayed. Thus, the filmmaker succeeds in holding the audience within the closed domain so as to evoke their emotions for the negative characters with whom the spectators start to identify through their subjective mode of viewership.
The film went on to create the iconic characters, while the filmmaker replaces the real world with an authoritarian patriarchy with the Godfather being at the helm of justice and power. The very first shot of the film is memorable, and it is taken in the dark, shuttered room. The day is that of the wedding of the Mafia’s daughter. At such a juncture, a man arrives speaking of his plight as his daughter was raped. As he wishes to get retribution, Don Vito opines that he should have come for help immediately after the incident. When the man lets Don Vito know that he had gone to the police, he expresses his dismay and asks what he had done to face the disrespect. Vito Corleone assures him of action against the culprit. Thus, the audience is given the idea that the domain of the Godfather runs parallel to the societal system. The rules of the Mafia world are not in accordance with the society outside, and this criminal domain is governed by its own ideals and protocols.
One has to understand the fact that the screenplay of the film does not follow any formulas sans the structure that shows the passing on to the next generations. The script of the film is so subtly constructed that it goes on to set up the events later on in the course of the film. Apart from this, one has to take a note about the presence of the women characters in the film. Vito Corleone’s wife has no significance in the entire course of the film, and she is shown to pose with her spouse in the wedding pictures but with no significance to the course of events of the film. It has to be comprehended that the cinematic narrative of the film in context does not give much space to the women characters. Sonny is shown to exploit women and he even does not pay any heed to his wife. Also, Connie, the daughter of the mafia is disregarded. Her husband is kept out of the family business, and when he is killed at the instruction of Michael, he does not think twice to life to his sister regarding the murder.
The film portrays the transfer of responsibilities and power from the older generation to the new ones. Michael gets dragged to the affairs of his family and fails to stay away from the crimes that his family engages in systematically. He is seen whispering to his father as he lies on the hospital bed saying, “I’m with you now.” An interesting aspect of the film in context is the fact that it reiterates the patriarchal system of the society. The male characters are the central figures of power, while women are shown to be helpless or weak in comparison. The women characters keep to their domestic spheres, while the males of the family manage the business. The importance of loyalty to the people of the family is shown to be paramount. However, the film shows the demarcation between loyalty and honestly. (Santopietro) As such, Michael never lets Tom Hagen know about the secret plan of killing the heads of the other families involved in the business. It would be apt to talk of the well-known “baptism massacre” that is an example of virtuoso filmmaking by the director. The ritual of baptism provides Michael an alibi, and he goes on to become a godfather in the two senses.
The character of Vito Corleone works to be the moral center of the cinematic work in context. He is portrayed as a wise and old man who goes on to oppose dealing in drugs. It is interesting to see how the filmmaker imbibes moral fiber in a world which essentially lacks morality in the strictest sense of the word. As such, Vito Corleone goes on to oppose drugs at a Mafia summit. Thus, the film expresses the idea that the world of crime has its own ideas about morality and ethics. (Larke-Walsh) These traits work in favor of making the audience view the characters subjectively and thus be involved much more in the film. Thus, Francis Ford Coppola goes on to weave the story in a way that is sure to evoke sympathetic ground for the protagonists. The cinematic genius of the filmmaker creates a world of morality and conscience within a world that essentially stands in stark contrast to morals and ethics.
A very crucial cinematic element of the film is its cinematography by Gordon Willis. The ambiance is shown to be dark yet rich and expressive in nature. The interior spaces are shown to be dark while the faces of the characters find prominence in the darkness of the background. In this way, the cinematographer goes on to create the perfect mesh of foreground-background to hog the attention of the audience and channelize their focus on to the screen. The cinematography focuses on the expressions of the actors as the cinematographer goes on to use mid shots. There are hardly any long shots in the course of the movie with most of the action taking place inside the walls on different places. While the darkness looms over the milieu when it comes to portraying the hospital, when Michael visits people from Hollywood for some business, the ambiance is shown to be bright. The montage of shots that show the baptism of Michael’s nephew on one hand, and the killing of the heads of the families on the other hand leaves a mark in the minds of the audience with its sheer affective credential. The cinematography is coupled with the background score of the film. Nino Rota, the musician, goes on to create an ambiance of desolation and nostalgia in the film with the help of the background score. (Ebert) Thus, the cinematic elements work together to bring out the true effect of the film, and succeeds in reaching out to the audience with all the aesthetic quintessence. The actors of the film show their utmost capacity as cinematic artists. While Marlon Brando leaves a mark with his perfect portraiture of the character of Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino steals the show with his expressions and his charismatic performance. The women characters only support the narrative passively with their presence being constricted to parts. The actors’ aura is elevated by the mise-en-scène, music and the cinematography.
Thus, it would be absolutely correct to opine that The Godfather (1972) is one of the best works of cinema of all times. The film bears testimony to the success of all the cinematic devices working in coordination with one another to create the larger-than-life effect on the minds of the audience. The audience gets submerged in the world of crime where relationships change and jeopardy is on the prowl for the people of the family. As the very first film of the trilogy, the film sets the stage for the next films that take the story of the Corleone family forward with all its content, theme and portrayal. No doubt, the work is hailed by critics as well as audience to be of seminal importance in the history of the audio-visual medium of arts and aesthetics.
Works Cited
Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2005. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel
Universal Company, 2005. Print.
Larke-Walsh, George S. Screening the Mafia. Jefferson: McFarland, 2010. Print.
Santopietro, Tom. The Godfather Effect. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. Print.
